Only one of the two would be able to make up for their 2015 collapse, as both Canada and France were placed in the same Olympic qualifying tournament and faced off in the final on Sunday.

And it was France that earned the final ticket to Rio, beating Canada 83-74 in Manila. The Spurs’ Tony Parker led the way with 26 points, scoring 15 of them in the fourth quarter. His step-back 3-pointer that gave France a seven-point lead with 2:13 left was the biggest shot of the day. Former Spur and Raptor Nando De Colo added 22 points and was named tournament MVP.

The Raptors’ Cory Joseph led Canada with 20 points and six assists, but also had seven of his team’s 21 turnovers. The Cavs’ Tristan Thompson dealt with foul trouble in the first half and finished with just eight points and seven rebounds. Canada was without several of its other NBA players, including Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Olynyk.

January 26, 2016 · 2:04 PM ET

HANG TIME NEW JERSEY — FIBA held the draw for its three Olympic qualifying tournaments on Tuesday, putting Canada in a tough spot in its quest for an Olympic berth.

Nine teams have already qualified for Rio 2016. They are the United States (2014 World Cup champ), Brazil (host), and seven teams who finished first or second at their regional events last summer.

The other three spots in the field will go to the winners of the three qualifying tournaments that will take place July 4-10. The Philippines, Italy and Serbia will host those tournaments, which will include 15 teams that qualified last summer and three wildcards awarded last week.

Canada was placed in the Manila tournament. If it gets through group play against Turkey and Senegal, it will likely have to face France – the best team that didn’t qualify last summer – for the Olympic berth.

Results of the draw for the 2016 #FIBAOQT in Belgrade (Serbia), Manila (Philippines) and Turin (Italy)!

They each have a second chance at earning a trip to Brazil, but only one of the two countries will ease its pain in Manila in July. With young talent like Andrew Wiggins, Cory Joseph, Trey Lyles, Kelly Olynyk and Tristan Thompson, Canada looks like it will contend for medals at the Olympics and World Cup for the next 10 years. But if it can’t get past France, it will have to wait at least another three (the next World Cup is in 2019) before it can make a splash on the international scene.

Host Serbia is the clear favorite to win the Belgrade group, while the Turin group could come down to Greece and host Italy.

NEWS OF THE MORNING

No. 1:Thompson will be absent from LeBron’s Miami workouts — Not all of the Cleveland Cavaliers will be taking their talents to South Beach for pre-training camp workouts organized by LeBron James. Restricted free agent power forward Tristan Thompson will not be attending the festivities, not without his future with the team solidified with a new contract. Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group has more:

With the 24-year-old in the midst of a lengthy contract stalemate with the club, he has elected not to appear.

The first day of the camp [was Friday].

James summoned his teammates to join him in South Florida to get a head start on the upcoming season. It will be a year in which the team is a betting favorite to win the NBA Finals.

September 11, 2015 · 9:28 PM ET

HANG TIME NEW JERSEY — The Canadian Men’s National Team had won its previous seven games by an average of 26.3 points and by no less than 17. Statistically, it had been the best team at the FIBA Americas tournament by a wide margin.

But with an Olympic bid on the line in the semifinals on Friday, Canada blew it.

Thanks to a last-second foul call on a rebound, Venezuela came back from a seven-point deficit with 3:00 to go to upend Canada 79-78 and earn its first trip to the Olympics since 1992. Aaron Doornekamp committed the foul (which was reviewed to see if it occurred before the buzzer) and Gregory Vargas hit the first of two free throws with three tenths of a second left to put Venezuela up one. He missed the second on purpose and Canada had no chance to get a final shot off.

After a couple of big buckets from the Magic’s Andrew Nicholson and a jumper from the Celtics’ Kelly Olynyk, Canada led 75-68 with three minutes to go. But Venezuela guard Heissler Guillent hit two huge 3-pointers to make it a one-point game. Then Olynyk lost the ball at midcourt and fouled Guillent when trying to recover it.

After Guillent’s two free throws put Venezuela up one, Nicholson hit one of two to tie the game. Venezuela then isolated Guillent on Cory Joseph. He missed the three, but Venezuela got a second chance to win the game with the Doornekamp foul on the rebound.

Olynyk led all scorers with 34 points on 11-for-13 shooting, adding 13 rebounds. Brady Heslip (10 points) was the only other Canadian in double figures. Andrew Wiggins scored nine points on 4-for-11 shooting, while Anthony Bennett went scoreless in 16 minutes. Olynyk and Wiggins combined for 10 turnovers.

Venezuela was playing without Greivis Vasquez and had no NBA players on its roster. Canada had nine.

Forget for a minute the call that put Gregory Vargas on the line with three-tenths of a second left, because it was an uncharacteristic performance from Canada all night that has derailed their Olympic dreams for now.

There were 17 turnovers, many ghastly and unforced; there were a dozen loose balls that weren’t corralled, there were missed rebounds and a general malaise that was in stark contrast to the way Canada had played each night for more than a week.

Nerves? Perhaps.

“It seemed like we were a little bit unsure,” said Triano. “I think this is a great experience for our young kids, Kelly (Olynyk, masterful with 34 points) is one of our most veteran guys, he’s been here before . . . a lot of these other guys have not been in this climate.”

In the second semifinal, Argentina beat host Mexico to earn its fourth straight trip to the Olympics. Mexico led by five at the half, but the game was tied with less than six minutes to go in the fourth quarter when a 6-0 Argentina run gave them a lead they wouldn’t give up.

Luis Scola (18 points and 10 rebounds) and Andres Nocioni (10 and 13) both had double-doubles for Argentina as Manu Ginobili watched courtside. The Bucks’ Jorge Gutierrez had 17 points and four steals for Mexico, but fouled out with more than three minutes to go. After averaging 19 points through Mexico’s first eight games, Gustavo Ayon (eight points) had a quiet night, even though, like both Scola and Nocioni, he played all 40 minutes.

Canada and Mexico will have another chance to qualify for the Olympics in one of next year’s Olympic qualifying tournaments, but will most likely have to go through tougher competition out of Europe.

September 11, 2015 · 10:45 AM ET

HANG TIME NEW JERSEY — Friday a big day for Canada basketball.

Canada has produced two ofthe last three No. 1 picks in the Draft, as well as more than a dozen other NBA players, most under the age of 25. And now it can take a big step on the international stage.

The FIBA Americas semifinals take place in Mexico City on Friday, with two Olympic berths on the line. Saturday’s final is kind of an afterthought, because the Americas gets two bids to Rio, in addition to the two it’s already been awarded.

In the first game on Friday, Canada will play Venezuela for the fifth spot in next year’s field. Canada lost its first game in Mexico to Argentina, but has won the last seven by an average of 26 points (and by no less than 17). Statistically, coach Jay Triano‘s team has been, by far, the best team in the tournament.

Andrew Wiggins has led the way with 15.5 points per game. Wiggins, Nik Stauskas and Brady Heslip have combined to shoot 53-for-108 (49.1 percent) from 3-point range. Cory Joseph has run the show and Anthony Bennett has looked like a guy who might be able to contribute to the Wolves this season.

But it would all be for naught if the Canadians don’t beat Venezuela. The Venezuelans are without Greivis Vasquez, but have been the best defensive team in the tournament thus far.

Canada last played in the Olympics in 2000. It’s only Olympic medal (silver) came in 1936. With all its young talent, it could join the likes of France, Serbia and Spain as contenders for the No. 2 basketball country in the world behind the United States in the coming years. And Friday’s game against Venezuela would be a critical step in the process.

The second semifinal is a rematch Wednesday’s pool-play finale, in which Mexico used a huge fourth quarter to force another meeting for the Americas’ other Olympic berth. Argentina had been playing for the No. 1 seed and a matchup with Venezuela in the semis, but couldn’t hold onto what was a 13-point lead at the end of the third quarter.

Mexico is led by Gustavo Ayon, who has averaged 19.1 points and 11.6 boards. Luis Scola (22.4 ppg) and Andres Nocioni (17.0 ppg) have combined to average almost 40 points for Argentina.

The losers of Friday’s games will play for third place on Saturday, and will still have an opportunity to qualify for the Olympics. They’ll receive bids to next year’s qualifying tournaments, which will produce the final three bids to Rio.

“Well, first of all, there’s a wave — just like the NBA — there’s a continual wave of new young players. Generally speaking, that’s true internationally also,” Team USA chairman Jerry Colangelo said. “I think without question, you’d have to say Spain, if they get their players to perform and are healthy, despite the fact they are aging, they’re very formidable.

“Serbia is considered a very strong international team coming into this Olympic year. I think France is another team, age aside, there’s a lot of talent, and a big sleeper in the whole mix is Canada. Canada has some extraordinary, very good, fine young players and they’re going to be heard from. If it’s not ’16, it will be ’20.”

The Serbian team is led by Timberwolves forward Nemanja Bjelica and Fenerbahce Ulker’s Bojan Bogdanovic. Depending on the status of Spurs guard Tony Parker for next year’s Games, France could be the stiffest competition with Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert, and Joffrey Lauvergne.

Team Canada is loaded with young prospects such as Andrew Wiggins, Tristan Thompson, Nik Stauskas, Andrew Nicholson, and Cory Joseph. The Canadians are currently vying to qualify for their first Olympic Games since 2000.

“If you’ve competed your whole life, you certainly understand that the wins yesterday are yesterday’s news,” Colangelo said. “All that matters is now. That’s a driver for all of us who are involved in USA Basketball. The culture that we’ve tried to build is very unique. We’re all very proud to represent our country.”

Colangelo, 75, has been the GM and owner of the Phoenix Suns, owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and was critical in bringing the Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix in the 1990s.

“As Americans we’re taking a lot of heat around the world and when you have a chance to represent your country on the international stage we take that very seriously,” he said. “I’ve been blessed with a long career in sports and a lot of success, but at this stage of my life, to be able to lead an organization that is doing all of what I just said, makes it special for me.

“Back in ’04 as I watched where we were, USA Basketball, some of the other countries really had togetherness, like Argentina, like Spain. That was something I thought we needed to develop. So developing a national team concept, stating that we had to change our culture and to see where we are, it makes you feel very good. There was a plan. Right now we’re on a roll.”

Iceland outscored Germany 22-12 in the final quarter as Jon Steffansson topped all scorers with 23 points for the team considered an outsider in the tough Group B.

Nowitzki needed time to get into the game but also contributed seven rebounds. Schroder had six rebounds and four assists.

The group stage of the tournament is being played in four cities across the continent.

Poland beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 68-64 in Group A in Montpellier, France, the Netherlands stunned Georgia 73-72 in Group C in Zagreb, Croatia, and the Czech Republic routed Estonia 80-57 in Group D in Riga, Latvia.

Robin Smeulders sank a jumper with 18 seconds remaining to lift the Dutch to victory as they returned to the competition for the first time since 1989. Charlon Kloof led all scorers with 22 points. Georgia got 16 points from the Dallas Mavericks center Zaza Pachulia and Tomike Shengelia also added 16.

Jan Vesely led the Czech Republic with 16 points and eight rebounds.

Marcin Gortat, the Washington Wizards center, had 10 points and seven rebounds for Poland, while Adam Waczinski had 15 points. Andrija Stepanovic led Bosnia with 20.

***

No. 3:Bonner looking beyond basketball —Matt Bonner may not rate extensive playing time with the San Antonio Spurs, but the role player understands his job and has won a couple of rings during his tenure in Texas. Now, as he enters his twelfth season, the always-interesting Bonner is showing he understands what’s required to continue a career in basketball beyond just playing the game, as our own Ian Thomsen writes…

“I don’t have a set number of years that I’m going to play,” said Bonner, looking ahead to his upcoming 10th season with the Spurs — which will be his 12th in the NBA overall. “I’m going to play as long as I can play. With my skill set, as long as I’m healthy, I think I can keep playing. And I’m fortunate to play for an organization that values recovery and keeping guys healthy and extending careers.”

Bonner is 6-foot-10 and 235 pounds with three-point range (41.4 percent for his career, which ranks No. 15 in the NBA all-time), enabling him to stand up to big men defensively and create mismatches at the other end of the floor — the same formula that has enabled Robert Horry and others like him to play into their late-30s. But Bonner also has recognized that long-term plans evolve quickly, and that the future arrives with the furious speed of these young players who were stampeding back and forth across the Summer League court in July.

When the Spurs’ season ended with a loss to the Clippers in the opening round — the first time in four years that San Antonio hadn’t played into June — Bonner tried to take advantage of the silver lining. At age 35, he signed on for two of the several hands-on courses in the NBPA’s career development program.

Bonner was in Las Vegas to investigate a potential career in an NBA front office. Even as he studied these young players who were dreaming of the same kind of playing career that he had made for himself, Bonner found himself looking beyond. He wasn’t going to be able to play basketball for another 30 years, and at the same time he was too young to retire.

***

No. 4:Philippines still working to add Clarkson — There are just a few weeks before FIBA Asia tips off, meaning time is running short for the Philippines to add Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson to their official roster, which would also require Clarkson missing some of Lakers training camp. But after meeting yesterday with Lakers execs Jeannie Buss and Mitch Kupchak, the Philippines officials feel like they have a better grasp on what’s needed to make it happen, writes Nelson Beltran in the Philippine Star…

“It’s still a work in progress but with better clarity,” said SBP vice chairman Ricky Vargas after a meeting with Los Angeles Lakers team president Jeanie Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak in LA.

Vargas said the Lakers officials have no objection for Clarkson to play for the national team on a long-term program.

But a stint by Clarkson in the forthcoming Asian meet is subject to the approval of “the Lakers coaches” since it will run in conflict with the Lakers’ media day on Sept. 28 and the Lakers’ training camp in Hawaii on Sept. 29-Oct. 7.

In the Asian meet, Oct. 1-3 is set for the quarterfinals, semifinals and final.

“They requested some time to talk to the Lakers coaches,” said Vargas.

Accompanied by PBA board member Patrick Gregorio in a six-day whirlwind trip to Taipei, Hong Kong and the US, Vargas also announced a positive dinner meeting with the father of Jordan.

“(He’s) appreciative of reception his son received from the Filipino basketball fans and from Gilas Pilipinas team,” said Vargas of his talk with Mike Clarkson.

“They asked to review the arrangement and wanted assurance that we secure Lakers permission to allow him to skip three days of training camp,” Vargas also said.

“We go home tomorrow bringing with us a more positive feeling and a commitment from the Lakers and parents that Jordan will be part of Gilas program for the long term,” Vargas added.

NEWS OF THE MORNING

No. 1:Canada heads to second round with momentum — After dropping their first game at the FIBA Americas tournament to Argentina, Andrew Wiggins and the Canadian National Team have won three straight by an average of 27 points. After a day off on Saturday, they’ll begin the second round (where they’ll play the four remaining teams that they haven’t faced yet) with some momentum and improved chemistry, as Eric Koreen of the National Post writes…

It has only been three days, but it feels as if a lot has changed for Canada since their opening loss to Argentina, and it is not merely a matter of Nik Stauskas’ shots falling. It has been almost cliché: young team learns painful lesson, and responds in kind. Whereas Canada tried fruitless individual forays as Argentina ran away from them on Tuesday, they answered Puerto Rico on Friday with savvy ball movement that led to open three-pointers.

Canada moved on defence like the slippery floor was ablaze, and the open Puerto Rican shots ceased. They took advantage of the whistle-happy referees, driving with abandon, knowing any contact would result in two free throws. And when their opponents had to adjust, they kicked the ball out to the corners for uncontested three-pointers. A 44-35 deficit turned into a two-point lead at the half. Combine that 11-0 run with the third quarter, and Canada outscored Puerto Rico 46-16 in just more than 12 total minutes.

***

No. 2:Parker back in bleu — EuroBasket tips off on Saturday, with plenty of NBA stars playing for their country. One of them is Tony Parker, who didn’t play for France at last year’s World Cup, but is looking for a second EuroBasket title and a berth in next year’s Olympics. He’s also hoping to inspire the next generation of French hoopers, as ESPN’s Mark Woods writes …

And while at the age of 33 he has signaled his national duty will come to a close after 2016, the lure of playing on home soil for a significant prize too irresistible to turn down.

“My idol was Michael Jordan,” Parker said. “He was always motivated to get better. Lots of people have asked me, ‘Tony, why do you continue to play for the French national team? There’s nothing to prove.’ But I’m motivated, to play as long as possible, to use my talents for as long as possible and to push my limits.

“You look for things to motivate you. There’s history you can look at. There have been many great teams that have come before you: Yugoslavia, the great teams, Spain [now]. They’re a super example for us. … Perhaps in 10, 15, 20 years, we’ll have inspired the basketball players of France.”

***

No. 3:Holiday to start camp with restrictions — Jrue Holiday has played just 74 games in his two seasons in New Orleans. So, while Holiday should be good to start training camp at the end of this month, the Pelicans will be cautious with their point guard as he recovers from two procedures to repair a stress fracture in (and remove a screw from) his right leg. John Reid of the Times-Picayune has an update on both Holiday and Pelicans forward Quincy Pondexter…

New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday has made enough progress in his recovery from offseason surgery in his lower right leg that he’s expected to be cleared for training camp later this month.

But Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said on Friday that Holiday is likely going to be under restrictions involving practicing just once a day when two-a-day practices are scheduled during camp, which is set to open on Sept. 29 at The Greenbrier in West Virginia.

The outlook, however, is a little more bleaker for starting small forward Quincy Pondexter. It’s looking like the Pelicans may have to wait until this upcoming November for Pondexter to fully recover from undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in May.

But now, Davis is up to 253 pounds and coach Alvin Gentry is excited to see what the future holds for the budding MVP candidate.

“The thing with him is that he’s still got a young body and his body is going to change a lot more in the next three or four years,” Gentry said following the Pelicans’ Premier Sideline Event Tuesday night at the team’s practice facility.

“I think for him, the ability to have a strong base and not get pushed around is important. The thing that I like about it is that he put on the weight without jeopardizing any of his quickness or ability. That’s also a huge point too. I think it gives him the opportunity to have a stronger base and at least when he’s getting knocked around he can hold his on.”

***

No. 4:Sixers to sign Marshall — The Philadelphia 76ers have two (healthy) young and talented big men, but could use a guy to get them the ball. With only scraps left on the free agent market, the Sixers will sign Kendall Marshall, who’s a terrific passer, but is recovering from an ACL tear suffered in January. Yahoo‘s Adrian Wojnarowski has the report…

Free-agent guard Kendall Marshall has agreed to a multiyear contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The deal includes a fully guaranteed salary for the 2015-16 season, sources said.

Marshall has been rehabilitating a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Chapel Hill, N.C., over the past few months and worked out this past week for the 76ers in Philadelphia. Marshall is expected to return sometime in the first half of the upcoming season, league sources said.

Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes across the globe to weigh in on the most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

>Qualifying for the Rio Summer Olympics continues this month with FIBA Americas and EuroBasket. Is there anybody out there who can truly challenge the USA in 2016?”

Steve Aschburner, NBA.com: “Truly” challenge, as in stand toe-to-toe and slug it out with Team USA? No, I don’t think so. But as a squad capable of pulling off an upset, I wouldn’t want to sleep on Canada. The group of north-of-the-border NBA players is young – Andrew Wiggins, Tristan Thompson, Anthony Bennett, Cory Joseph, Andrew Nicholson – so 2020 might be a year in which Canada makes real Olympic noise, but even one year out is going to make a difference for a tight and budding squad.

Fran Blinebury, NBA.com: With a full complement of elite players the United States is easily the class of the field. But a key to the success that Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski have brought back to the USA Basketball is having respect for the field. You wouldn’t want to sleep on a Spanish team with Pau and Marc Gasol and Rudy Fernandez or France with Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, Nicolas Batum and Rudy Gobert.

Scott Howard-Cooper, NBA.com: Sure the U.S. can be challenged. The Olympics become a single-elimination tournament at some point, so anything is possible. And the rosters that have been together for years and play team ball are still dangerous. Spain is at the top of that list, while also noting that I like France’s possibilities as well. But it’s still Team USA’s gold to lose. The favorites before will be the favorites again.

Shaun Powell, NBA.com: The short answer is no. Under Jerry Colangelo and Coach K, the USA has shaped up and restored order in the basketball world. That said, in the future I’d keep a watch out on Canada and Australia.The Canadians under Steve Nash and with Andrew Wiggins and Co. are building something special. And Down Under, gaining steam is a growing generation of teens who are the children of American professional players.

John Schuhmann, NBA.com: In no particular order, the next three best teams are France, Serbia and Spain. The U.S. has a huge advantage in regard to talent and depth, and they put Serbia away early in the gold medal game of last year’s World Cup. But both France and Spain – with more size, experience and athleticism – are better equipped to knock them off should they cross paths. The U.S. will be the heavy favorite in Rio next year, but a gold medal is never a given when it’s a single-elimination format with 40-minute games.

Sekou Smith, NBA.com: With all due respect to the competition, they all know they are going to Rio to fight for second place. That’s not American arrogance on display, it’s just reality. Even if there is a team capable of challenging the U.S. for a quarter or two, the group Jerry Colangelo and Coach K have assembled (whatever the 12-man roster) should prove too strong and too deep for Spain, France, Canada or any other crew eager to play hero. A true challenger is not on the radar right now and perhaps not anytime soon, provided the USA Basketball machine remains dialed in and well stocked.

Ian Thomsen, NBA.com: The old contenders – Spain, France and Argentina – could still be hanging on, but the team to watch (pending its qualification for Rio) is going to be Canada. By 2020 the Canadians will be the main challengers to the US – and they may emerge as early as next summer.

Lang Whitaker, NBA.com’s All Ball blog: At the risk of sounding overconfident, when Team USA is at their full-strength, I don’t think anyone can challenge them. A lineup of Steph Curry, James Harden, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant would be dynamic and destructive, and that doesn’t even factor in a bench (Westbrook! CP3! Blake!) that could provide Coach K all sorts of mix and match options. Oh, and sure, Kobe we could use you, too. I assume the USA will meet stiff opposition along the way, perhaps from teams such as France or Spain or a younger team like Canada. But if Team USA is playing at their full potential, I think it will be a dream in Rio.

September 1, 2015 · 8:31 AM ET

NEWS OF THE MORNING

No. 1:Bennett shows FIBA resurgence — The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Anthony Bennett out of UNLV with the first overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, but the expected development once he reached the NBA has yet to fully occur. A change of NBA environment via a trade to Minnesota hasn’t had the desired effect, either. Yet playing for his native Canada this summer in international competition, Bennett has nearly averaged a double-double. As Josh Lewenberg writes for TSN, Bennett has finally found his swagger…

Seated in the front row, an international reporter searched for the appropriate words to make an uncomfortable but fair observation, one that caught others off guard but hardly made Bennett flinch.

“You play so different in the NBA and in FIBA,” the reporter pointed out. “You are a lot better in FIBA. Why?”

The answer isn’t nearly as straight forward as the question. There are a number of factors that contributed to Bennett’s forgettable rookie and sophomore seasons, health and conditioning among them, but the word he frequently uses to explain his improved play this summer should not be overlooked. Confidence.

“[I’m] just playing with confidence, pretty much,” the 22-year-old forward responded. “Just going out there, playing defence, running the court. Just doing the little things first and trying to make offence come to me.”

Exactly 366 days – a year and one day – earlier, Bennett was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, along with fellow Canadian and good friend Andrew Wiggins, in the deal that sent Kevin Love to Cleveland.

Certainly, Bennett’s debut campaign with the Cavaliers did not go as anticipated. A shoulder injury derailed his progress in training camp and, out of shape to begin the season, he missed the first 16 shots of his pro career. The end result was one of the worst ever rookie seasons by a No. 1 overall pick. Plagued by a series of ailments again in year two, he was only moderately better with the Wolves last season. Understandably, he had a hard time hiding his frustration.

“I saw him play a little bit,” said Jay Triano, head coach of the Canadian senior men’s team and assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers. “Whether there were injuries or not getting a chance in the NBA, he was always grumpy and never smiling. And I remember him as a guy who was vocal, smiling, having fun playing the game.”

Free from the pressure and scrutiny that had consumed him as a young player in the NBA, Bennett has resembled his old self with the national team this summer.

Making his debut with the senior club at the Pan American games last month, where Canada won silver, Bennett averaged 15.6 points and a tournament-high 9.4 rebounds. He was also a standout starting for a much deeper team in their tuneup games this past week, running the floor with purpose and playing above the rim in San Juan.

The smile has returned – you’ll rarely catch him without it. He’s healthy, he’s slimmed down considerably and he has that bounce in his step again.

“It feels great,” Bennett told TSN in a sit-down interview earlier this month. “My body feels great. I feel like I’m 100 per cent right now. Just getting out and running like I did at UNLV.”

“It looks like he’s loving basketball again,” Triano added. “And I think that was the big thing for us. We try to make it fun for him, try to simplify it. He’s so talented in a variety of areas that we needed to just simplify what we expect of him. If he does that, the rest of it is gonna fall into place.”

***

No. 2:Suns players begin unofficial workouts, without Morris — NBA training camps are still a few weeks from tipping off, but in Phoenix there are multiple Suns players already gathered in the Valley to begin workouts. One notable absence is Markieff Morris, the Suns’ terrific forward who has expressed his desire to be traded after the Suns traded his brother, Marcus. As Paul Coro writes in the Arizona Republic, the Suns may be hoping hard feelings have subsided by the time training camp officially tips off…

There is no surprise that Markieff Morris is missing from that list, given his “Keef beef” with the franchise. His trade request fell on deaf ears. The other absent contract players, Tyson Chandler and Mirza Teletovic, are expected to join their new teammates in Phoenix over the next 10 days.

The early team chemistry sessions are important for a roster that will have at least six new players for the regular season. That does not include Brandon Knight, a key cog to this season’s plans after playing only 11 games last season with the Suns.

It would be ideal for Knight to spend September working with his starting power forward but a Morris early arrival is about as likely as a fulfillment of his trade wish.

The Suns need and want Morris. They would not stand much of a chance to replace him by trade. They would have no chance to replace him by free agency. They do not have an adequate existing roster option.

Reasonably, hard feelings should subside by the time he must report to Phoenix on Sept. 28. However, he was steaming six weeks after the trade when he went public to the Philadelphia Inquirer this month. Another six weeks might not help but being around his teammate friends again and meeting a respected frontcourt partner such as Chandler should help him recommit, even if Morris returns to being the quieter person he was before Marcus joined Phoenix.

Morris never planned to publicly lash out at the Suns, coincidentally running into a familiar reporter at a Philadelphia-area gym with small talk that became a stage for his discontent.

The expressed source of the twins’ anger was that Marcus was told he was traded while on vacation. The issues must extend beyond that because even superstars are rarely told of trades before they happen, although Markieff did call himself “the premier player of the team.”

The twins were miffed because they gave the Suns a contract extension break last year in hopes of staying together. Markieff’s salary still will jump from $3 million last season to $8 million this season. The unstated factor is that Marcus’ trade was made, in part, to clear salary-cap space for LaMarcus Aldridge, a free agency target who would have replaced Markieff. Marcus’ behavior last season, including yelling at coach Jeff Hornacek during a game, also played a role.

Markieff’s previous criticism of Suns fans only worsens his reputation but the start of a make-up process is only a sincere statement of regret and a few double-doubles away.

His teammates made the first statement to win over playoff-starved fans by committing themselves to workouts before other teams start congregating.

The Lakers and the Knicks have movie stars on their sidelines. The Clippers and Mavericks have their celebrity owners. But when many of the Warriors players look around the front row at the Golden State Warriors games, many of the players see something else notable: Startup capital.

With their surge to a NBA title and guard who earned a regular season MVP award, a number of Warriors players have been involved in the Silicon Valley culture that their team attracts to games and will likely continue to bring in when they move to their new arena in San Francisco.

“You’ll see Larry Ellison, you’ll see Jack Dorsey, you’ll see Adam Bain,” said Harrison Barnes, listing off the names of the co-founder of Oracle and Twitter executives. “You’ll see all these guys courtside that they’re walking down the street people might not say ‘oh my god that’s so-and-so’ but if you know who they are and you know what they do, there’s obviously well-respected in their fields.”

Barnes works as a consultant at Facebook on the side when he’s not playing basketball. Andre Iguodala had a role in a startup that recently got acquired by eBay. And Stephen Curry partnered with CoachUp, a private coaching website and app matching service that its founder describes as the “Uber or AirBNB” of the private and semi-private sports coaching industry.

Curry said that he got involved with the Boston-based CoachUp because he thinks that private coaching was crucial to his success as a player, and likely would have done it without the Silicon Valley influence. Private coaching is something, he stressed, he really believes in. “I had a coach I worked with starting at the age of 13 in lieu of playing AAU basketball and traveling all over the country I stayed in Charlotte and to have the one-on-one experience … I benefited so much from it,” he said.

The service, which matches athletes with private coaches for everything from triathlon training for adults to soccer for kids, he hopes, will make that type of coaching more accessible for future generations, which is something he’d want to do whether he was in the tech capital of the world or not.

Jordan Fliegel, the co-founder of CoachUp said that there were a million reasons they partnered with Curry – after all he’s marketable on his own personality and what seems like a sincere dedication to the company. But playing in the Bay Area is helpful. “I think as we go, if we need introductions to various people, Stephen’s offered to help however he can,” Fliegel said. “He’s a huge part of our team.”

Curry is also involved in another company that’s “in the social media space that talks about athletes and fan engagement, especially on the professional level,” he said, that will hopefully be coming out in the next year. His agent, Jeff Austin, said that playing in the Bay Area definitely influenced the opportunities sent his way, even as a high-profile player.

“Interest has certainly been high from Silicon Valley start-ups and investors. We have evaluated various opportunities to see which match best with Stephen’s overall career plan and off the court passions,” he said. “It’s great that the team is located so close to the area, it gives these companies a chance to see the full impact Stephen and the Warriors have had on the community.”

September 15, 2014 · 1:55 PM ET

MADRID — Serbia had looked really good in its previous three games, beating 5-0 Greece by 18, walloping 5-1 Brazil by 28, and putting up 90 points against a France defense that had just shut down Spain at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

But you don’t really know how good you are until you play against the best. And when Serbia faced the U.S. for the first time since the former was part of the larger Yugoslavia, it got crushed, 129-92, in Sunday’s gold medal game.

Serbia has a lot of young talent and a very good coach. It should be one of the best national teams in Europe for years to come. Though it won silver at 2009 Eurobasket and finished fourth at the 2010 World Championship, this run at the World Cup could be the start of something even bigger.

“This is a very, very big success for our country,” Miroslav Raduljica said. “We put a good, healthy foundation for something in the future.”

But the gap between one of the best national teams in Europe and the best national team in the world seems to be pretty wide, especially when you consider that LeBron James and Kevin Durant weren’t representing the U.S. this summer. The Americans have come a long way since the 2002 World Championship, having won four straight gold medals with a stable and sustainable system under USA managing director Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

So does any other nation have any hope of knocking off the Americans any time soon?

“I think we can lose our next game,” Krzyzewski said after extending the USA’s winning streak to 63 games (45 FIBA and FIBA Americas games, 18 exhibition games) on Sunday. “That’s the way we prepare, because we know how good everyone is. So I don’t see a gap. I just see good basketball, and then we’ve been able to win.”

For the USA’s opponents, it helps to know what you’re up against. And Serbia coach Sasha Djordjevic said Sunday that his team was at a disadvantage having never faced the speed, athleticism and talent of the best players in the world. Now, it has that experience.

“Each time we play against a team like that,” Djordjevic said, “we are growing up as a team. And we need this more often, because we have to understand how we have to bring up our level of athleticism, our level of defense, our level of passing, to achieve the level these USA players have. So this was a great, great night for us. A great game. We can learn a lot from this game.”

The U.S. is always going to have the talent. But a lot of other national teams, especially those from Europe that play together almost every year, have the edge when it comes to chemistry. And each time they play the Americans, they gain reps against the best. So, the next time we see this matchup, Serbia will be more prepared.

Here are a few more ramifications of what went down over the last 16 days in Spain.

A summer off

Along with the gold medal comes automatic qualification for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. So, for the fourth straight time (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015), the U.S. won’t need to send a team to the FIBA Americas tournament in the year between the Olympics and World Cup.

If they had lost on Sunday, they would have needed to qualify for the Olympics through the Americas. And it would have been interesting to see what kind of team Colangelo and Krzyzewski put together next summer in a tournament that has far less appeal than this one. But they won’t have to worry about that.

Things are going to change after 2016, however. And an Olympic gold in Rio will not earn instant qualification for the 32-team, 2019 World Cup. Instead, in a format change that was announced last year, there will be 16 teams from the Americas competing for seven spots in the World Cup via a qualification similar to that of the soccer World Cup, with some games taking place during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 NBA seasons. That, of course, will bring up even more questions about who will play for the U.S. and other nations with key players in the NBA. (more…)